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Month: February 2006

The Macallan is a single malt Highland Scotch whisky. It’s usually available in the 12 year old single malt version matured in Sherry Oak casks. The Macallan is distilled in their own distillery (which is what differentiates premium single malt from blended whiskeys) in Speyside, Scotland.

The Macallan is one of the best single malt Scotch whisky that I’ve ever tasted. I opened a bottle at Luconia and drank half the bottle in the first session (with some other people). The Macallan has a cork instead of a metal cap, which is a plus point for me. It’s considered a Highland single malt Scotch which puzzles me since The Macallan is obviously a Speyside single malt from their distillery location.

The Macallan tastes great, subjectively better than Glenfiddich, the other premium single malt Scotch that Luconia carries. The Macallan 12 year single malt Scotch comes in a rich gold color and goes down really smoothly with hints of sherry and spice, with a sweet smoky finish. The Macallan is usually priced around the RM 300 region (pub prices, not retail) in drinking establishments, though YMMV depending on your location.

There is also a bottle of Johnny Walker Swing in the background – it’s a neat bottle of blended whisky that actually swings back and forth when you put it down on the table. It’s a great presentation bottle but The Macallan tastes better. It comes highly recommended from me!

Jong’s Crocodile Farm is located about 30 km from
Kuching and it’s the only crocodile breeding farm in Malaysia. There
are plenty of road signs to direct you to the crocodile farm which is
located along the Kuching – Serian road. It is home to the legendary
man eating killer croc Bujang Senang. I went there with a couple of friends to check out the crocodiles during the weekend.

The entrance of Jong’s Crocodile Farm features a huge crocodile
sculpture in front of the diminutive entrance. It’s a replica of Bujang
Senang. The zoo is actually quite huge, with various breeding farms for
crocodiles. Jong’s Crocodile Farm also features other animals native to
Borneo, but the main attraction is the crocodiles, specifically the
crocodile feeding session (video below).

Jong’s Crocodile Farm charges RM 8 for adults and RM 4 for children
below the age of 12. It’s best to go during the crocodile feeding times
which happens twice daily – once at 11 pm and once at 3 pm. The
afternoon croc feeding demonstration is a good one to catch as there
are plenty of other interesting things to occupy your time. I would
recommend at least 2 hours for checking out the other sights at the
farm.

There is a huge glass display that confronts you right as you step
inside Jong’s Crocodile Farm. It contains the substantial skull and jaw
of the notorious Bujang Senang killer crocodile that
reigned in blood until the fateful day on the 12th of May 1992 when it
was brought down by a shotgun in Sri Aman (also on display).

Jong’s Crocodile Farm has pictures of Bujang Senang’s reign of
terror on the walls of the entrance. I remember the crocodile from my
childhood – it was something of a household name during a killing spree
during the early 90’s. Bujang Senang translates to “Happy Bachelor”.
Don’t look at me, I wasn’t the one who named it.

There is a slot beside the shrine where people can put in cash
(though to what purpose, defeats me) and 4D numbers. Bujang Senang is a
huge crocodile that grew to 19 feet and 4 inches. It was struck down by
a shotgun shell in Sg. Pelaban in Lingga Batang Lupar at Sri Aman and
judging from the well formed and worn canines on its huge jaw, it must
have been justified. ;)

Jong’s Crocodile Farm and Zoo also has other animals on display,
like these two iguanas having a staring contest. I don’t know which one
blinked first.

There is also a museum like display of the lifecycle of a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus Porosus)
in the form of live exhibits ranging from eggs to the hatching stage at
92 days and right up to a six month old crocodile. The exhibits are
real crocodiles and eggs preserved in embalming fluid.

The entrance to the outdoor Jong’s Crocodile Farm is accessible from
a small gate which has a sign with the crocodile feeding time and
directions to the various other animals in the large Jong’s Crocodile
Farm natural zoo.

Jong’s Crocodile Farm features concrete enclosures (more like pits
actually) with lots and lots of crocodiles in various stages of their
lifecycle. The crocodiles are separated according to their age (and
thus, size) and does not seem to display aggression towards their own
kind.

There was even some reptile lovin’ going on in one of the pits…some sort of crocodile orgy.

The crocodile pits have wet and dry areas to simulate the natural
habitat of a saltwater crocodile. It goes sequentially from small
(young) to large (older) crocodiles and after a certain age, the
crocodiles are released into another area inside the crocodile farm.

The larger crocodiles look kinda cute with their intricate scaly
exterior. I like the two crocodiles sizing each other up in the middle.
Crocodiles have existed since the age of the dinosaurs and they predate
man and probably would outlast us in the evolutionary cycle.

This crocodile looks sinister (in a nice way) when it’s partially
submerged in the water with only the snout showing. It looks rather
like a log when it does this. I think this is the stage where it learns
how to hunt.

I think this crocodile doesn’t like me very much…

There were two unusual live crocodiles on display.

This is a Tailless Crocodile. I don’t know if it’s
a genetic defect or whether another crocodile ate its tail. It’s still
alive and staring. It looks grumpy.

Jong’s Crocodile Farm also has an “Eyeless Crocodile“. I feel compelled to share the signage coz it’s like Ripley’s “Believe it or not”.

This is the “Eyeless Crocodile”. Again, no mention is made on
whether the crocodile was born without eyes or whether another
crocodile took out its eye. I think it’s the former though coz there’s
only scales where its eyes are supposed to go.

There are also other animals in cages or roaming around freely. This
is a very curious bird that doesn’t fly and isn’t afraid of people. It
came up to me and cocked its head to look at me.

This is a colorful ostrich. I didn’t know ostriches look like this.

There is also a Borneo Sun Bear which was isolated in the middle of a concrete unit. It was pacing around restlessly.

I had to console this monkey after she was brutally raped and left
bleeding and crying. We chatted for a while, and after I established
that she was OK, we moved on to the other exhibits.

Jong’s Crocodile Farm also features a huge manmade pond full of Arapaima Gigas. It’s one of the largest freshwater fish in the world and the size of these things easily reaches meters.

It’s not exactly a very friendly fish though…there is one
partially submerged in this photo. It’s shy but you can find it in the
upper right hand corner if you squint a bit.

There are actually crocodiles wondering around, so watch your step when you go to Jong’s crocodile farm.

It was soon nearing the 3 pm feeding time so we made our way to the crocodile feeding pond.

The crocodile feeding pond has a watchtower of sorts on the other
side (inaccessible to the public) which features a contraption spanning
the entire pond (which is crawling with crocodiles).

The contraption is operated by a staff of Jong’s Crocodile Farm and
features a pulley system to put whole chickens on hooks before rolling
it out to the crocodile infested pond.

The meat is suspended about a meter off the surface of the water and
the hungry crocodiles slowly float towards the chicken. It’s the calm
before the feeding frenzy starts…

Crocodiles can leap from the water and launch themselves
surprisingly high into the air to snap at the meat dangling from the
hook.

Oregano is an interesting eating experience in Travillion Mall, Kuching.
It’s located near one end of the open concept mall and the relatively
small restaurant interior is boosted by a large al fresco seating area
with lots of green shrubbery surrounding the seating arrangements.

The interior of Oregano has a unique contrasting ambience with the
warm incandescent lights near the counter with its elevated faux floor
décor contrasting with the cold florescent lights from the open kitchen
concept near the back. I went there for dinner last night with Val and
Monica.

Oregano is one of the few places to offer the open kitchen concept
in a restaurant in Kuching. The cooking area is open for patrons to
look into and there are chefs carefully tending to sauces, garnishing
food and preparing dishes readily visible. This is a very nice
arrangement as opposed to the closed kitchen that most eating
establishments subscribe to.

The limited floor space afforded to Travillion Mall tenants is
utilized well by Oregano by extending the seating area outside, which
exponentially increases the seating capacity while still retaining a
coherent theme with the main building with the well placed see-through
glass walls bordering the restaurant.

Banana Dates Crush (RM 7.60)
This is a very thick blended drink that combines bananas with dates. It
tastes great! The density of the drink is so great that it takes much
effort to suck the thick blend through the straw. This is the only
drink we ordered…the other refreshments came in the form of a bucket
of beer (Heineken).

I had the confit of salmon and it tastes great (though Val finds it
too salty) but my only beef (no pun intended) with it is that it’s not
a confit of salmon. The use of asparagus and other unusual ingredients
gets two thumbs up from me though.

The lamb shank from Oregano is HUGE! Val and Monica both ordered
this and it tastes great! Val kept on slicing bits of lamb shank pieces
off for me (thanks!) and we still couldn’t finish the dish. Highly
recommended! The sauce it came with is perfect…Oregano does sauces
well.

This is a photo of us at Oregano – me and Val is going at it in the
foreground while that’s Monica in the background. I know, the Tim Tams
are making me put on a lot of excess weight…and I still had dessert!
;)

Important announcement: I have Tim Tams from Australia. This probably means it’ll all be gone in a minute. ;)

Well, if anyone doesn’t understand all the fuss about a chocolate
biscuit and why The Cult of Tim Tams loves these things, you gotta
taste the Australian made ones. Such exquisite beauty in a chocolate
biscuit…

Rajang Lobby Lounge is located at the lobby of Holiday Inn, Kuching
and extends out from the air conditioned interior to the pool side
seating which overlooks the mighty Rejang River (which is where it
probably got its name from).

There are different and contrasting views each way you look – the
pool, the bar, and the interior of the lounge. The seats range from
pool side recliners to comfy padded chairs and the clientele is
predominantly Caucasian for some reason…probably coz this is Holiday
Inn.

Tutom Pole (RM 30)
This Totem Pole like drink comes in a really cool sculpted design. The
cocktails all have a theme and the mug is customized to fit the theme
and comes specially designed for Holiday Inn.

The “Tutom Pole” (sic?) is topped with a slice of orange and a
cherry in a long receptacle containing a combination of Cointreau,
Grand Marnier, and wine cooler, plus some other spirits which I
promptly forgot.

Kereta Lembu (RM 30)
Look at the beads of sweat forming on the industrious cows. This
intricately designed receptacle is shaped literally like a “cow driven
carriage” (instead of horse, geddit?).

You basically have to grab the bull (or cow) by the horns to drink
this one. The straw goes into the lid and the drink settles around the
base (which has a large footprint) so to get all of it the cow part has
to be tilted to pool the drink for consumption.

This drink contains an egg yolk mixed in and it tastes great – nice and creamy. Hmm…I mean, Mmm…

Rajang Lobby Lounge also serves food. This is the tuna sandwich (RM 14++) that comes with white bread, fresh raw vegetables and Pringles.

I went for the Club Sandwich (RM 15.75++) which is
a triple decker toasted sandwich with chicken, lettuce, beef bacon,
tomato, mayo and egg. It’s served with chips instead of Pringles and a
salad with raw onions.

The Fancy Cocktails menu with its themed mugs sent
out a siren call in the middle of our eating expedition (it was
supposed to be our late lunch) and we decided to go for another round
of drinks to check out the rest of the customized mugs.

Ketam Batu (RM 30)
Ketam Batu translates to “Stone Crab” and it comes in a crab shaped
clay mould. It is customized for Holiday Inn and the crab is painted to
look exactly like a crab. It even has eyes! Awesome! (…and other
adolescent hyperboles)

The straw for this cocktail goes straight through the crab…the
very place you stab to kill a real live crab. Nice touch. No pun
intended. This is a great drink, it’s made with lemonade and various
liquors which the bartender told us but we promptly forgot. It’s
refreshing and thirst quenching.

Headhunter (RM 30)
Headhunter comes in a tall receptacle with an orange slice, a piece of
orange rind carefully sliced to resemble an orchid garnish, and the
entire drink is topped with a cherry. The expression on the face molded
into the mug looks almost comical.

The Headhunter cocktail uses a lot of cognac and tuak (a
local rice wine) which is a strange combination. It has an interesting
taste to it due to the unusual ingredients but it works. I was told
this is the most popular cocktail in Rajang Lobby Lounge, Holiday Inn.

There are six more drinks in the “Fancy Cocktails” menu and we’ve
made it a mission to drink all of them (and take the themed mugs back
home). I want a collection of all the 10 customized theme mugs! I think
it would look great on my desk at work. ;)

The water board, in its infinite wisdom has decided to cut off water
supply to my place of residence. Water, as we all know, is Very
Important (TM) as it is the substance used to flush various bodily
fluids, shower with, and drink from (if you’re so inclined).

I had an outstanding bill of RM 4.95. RM 4.95!!! It’s not like its
RM 490 for crying out loud! Move back two decimal points! Now I have to
use the (only) running tap in my place in the balcony to fill a bucket
to take a bath.

The space was at the balcony and I’m on the third floor so my family jewels were on display for all and sundry to see.

Yes, please feel free to stare at my gonads while I attempt to take a bath, friendly neighbors!

Room two0five cafe is the latest concept cafe to
hit Padungan. It’s nestled between a fruit store that’s been around
since the dawn of time and a dentist (which has also probably been
around since forever and a day).

The address of the Room 205 is coincidentally, 205
Jalan Padungan. The counter is (still) decorated with festive
Valentine’s Day cheer and there are bottles of fruit juice concoctions
neatly arranged on the sides.

Room 205 cafe is cozy and has a warm ambience which suits the small
enclosure. There are high backed seats on one side of the place and
more comfortable sofa type seating on the other.

The tables are lined with purple bamboo mats which suit the entire
color scheme of the place. Glasses of water are presented with the
menu, which is a nice touch. The menu runs the entire repertoire of
appetizers to desserts and you’ll be spoilt for choice at this place.

Oysters on Ice (RM 24.90)
Served on a bed of crushed ice with a lemon wedge.

This is what we had for the appetizer – its fresh large oysters on a
bed of crushed ice with lemon and Tabasco sauce. It’s fresh and it’s
nice to see eating establishments serve proper oysters for once.

1 Foot Long Sausage (RM 4.90)
I expected it to come out in a foot long dish, but the poor thing was sliced into four. ;)

Grilled Salmon Fillet (RM 22.90)
Topped with homemade Japanese sauce and served with tempura veggies and mashed potato.

I think we were the only patrons there that night and the service
was alright but surprisingly they forgot one of our items – the
American Club Sandwich (which comes with a choice of white or whole
meal bread). The salmon was alright (thought a bit overdone) and it was
filling so we didn’t ask for it and went straight to the dessert:

It was huge alright…the crepe filled the entire dinner plate and it took a lot of effort on our part to finish it.

Sugar overdose!

Seriously though, Room 205 has a large menu with more esoteric items
like savory crepes with customization options at a very reasonable
price. The oysters are great too; and the Banana Bonkers dessert comes
highly recommended from me.

Cherie just has this knack of getting me things that suits me
(probably coz we have the same taste in things) and gave me this nifty
tongue piercing from Off Ya Tree, a headshop in Melbourne.

It’s supposed to fit into the 14 gauge barbell and comes with two
standard round ends with a flaming skull, a tablet and a capsule. I
love the pill and capsule ones…it’s perfect for me – constantly
medicated. ;)

She also bought me a lot of clothes – there’s a Nike sweater, a long-sleeved shirt for work, and three T-shirts.

This one goes “Bury the Bone” and shows a pair of canines copulating. OMG, alliteration! ;)

This one has horoscopes printed all over it and the text describes
each star sign in a brutally honest take-no-prisoners manner. Aries goes “You
are a pioneer type and think most people are dickheads. You are quick
to reprimand, impatient, and scornful of advice. You do nothing but
piss off everyone you come into contact with. You are a PRICK!!“

The third ones goes “It’s beer time any bloody time“. I love the designs, Cherie got them in Melbourne.

She also got me Zain from Clive Barker’s Tortured Souls 2 – The Fallen series. I’m going to display this at my work space in the office. :)

Cherie also got me Tim Tams from Australia (one of each flavor), a mug which says “Fuck! I love you!” and Robitussin DX.

Oriental Passion is one of the new eating
establishments that have mushroomed up in Jalan Padungan in Kuching.
The distinctive red signage of the eatery features a square ancient
Chinese style stamp with a bright red background and an intense light
source illuminating the signage.

The incandescent lighting radiating from Oriental Passion is
inviting. There are curtains softly billowing at the entrance. Oriental
Passion also has al fresco seating arrangements and a main seating area
which follows the theme a little too literally by providing patrons
with stools instead of chairs.

Oriental Passion has a wood themed interior, with a lot of bamboo
features and a large tree trunk anchoring the partitions. The real wood
and bamboo feature actually obscures the wash basin for patrons.

The interior of Oriental Passion also uses a lot of mirrors to
create the illusion of a larger space (and for the convenience of
patrons to check their make up by just glancing to the side ;)). There
are large reflective glass panels everywhere.

Oriental Passion also incorporates the mirror concept into the brick
foundation of the walls. There are small mirrors embedded into the
bricks on the wall every few feet. I went there with Irene [blogspot.com] last night to check out the place.

There is also a bar seating area with lounge chairs and the rest of
the seating arrangements lines the side of the unique tight and long
space characteristic of the Jalan Padungan old shop houses. The back
also houses a tatami area.

The gramophone at the cashier counter lends a rather retro look to
the place. There are also bottles of home made chilli sauce for sale at
the cashier counter. Oriental Passion had a Valentine’s Day menu and we
both went for that option.

I just received the best Valentine’s Day gift of all time from the
most unlikely candidate – my doctor. He was kind enough to write a
prescription for DF-118 from another pharmacy to get
me through the week until his supplier comes again (it’s not the usual
practice here) since he ran out of stock.

Rx for DF-118 x 30 tabs (no repeat authorization) for Poh Huai Bin.

I drove to the pharmacy (most clinics and pharmacies here don’t
carry DF-118 coz it’s restricted) and got my medication. 1 tablets of
DF-118 (dihydrocodeine tartrate 30 mg) to be taken when necessary. I
love DF118 coz it only contains DHC 30 mg without other active
substances.

Nothing says “I love you” more than a prescription. ;)

Disclaimer: I have a legitimate prescription for
DF-118 for my end-stage testicular cancer. That usually shuts people
up, coz nothing is manlier than a man telling someone he has testicular
cancer. ;)

P/S – Don’t panic, I don’t really have testicular cancer, mom and
dad. My family jewels are perfectly fine and in good working condition
last time I checked. It’s actually for my back pain.